Where has the zombie thread warning gone?

[PandasRock]

I've just posted on a bumped thread (6 years old) which didn't have a zombie warning on it.

I've had a quick search, and old threads no longer seem to have zombie warnings - why?

Hi PandasRock,

We got rid of the large warning at the top of threads after receiving feedback from users who found it was off-putting, especially to new members arriving on a thread for the first time.

We decided then to change the warning and move it to the end so you only saw it if you were actually posting on a zombie thread. We do see the argument for warning at the top of threads, though, and always like to hear what people think.

Thanks Katherine.

I think (but couldn't swear to it) that when I AS last night, there wasn't any warning anywhere in old threads, which was why I queried it. Not even at the bottom/near the posting box.

We do see the argument for warning at the top of threads, though, and always like to hear what people think

Katherine, MNHQ are always super-responsive on what I'm sure must feel like a barrage of requests but on the Zombie thread issue, they've been all "we like to hear what people think" about it which is becoming a teensy weeny bit like a platitude esp after many people have remarked its pointless having the notice at the bottom which we don't see it until after we've invested significant time FTFT'ing! The words "stable door" and "bolted" spring to mind ahem.

Meanwhile I keep having to hit the to calm my shattered nerves

I think the top warning needs to come back, I seem to find myself reading zombies several times a day at the moment, its really annoying. Maybe stop calling them zombies but put a header that says "this thread was last posted on two years ago" or whatever the definition of a zombie is.

Wasn't the whole point of th zombie thread warning to be off-putting?

Because, although on some sites, it's bad form to start a new thread when there's one already on that subject, on MN it is quite the opposite. And the warning backed that up.

The zombie warning at the bottom disappears after a few posts i think.

HQ there is a malicious poster who is causing some serious damage with these Zombie threads.

They are deliberately resurrecting threads about ONS's and posting really nasty spiteful trollworthy comments on them standing in judgement of the OP each time. One thread is back to 2012.

This kind of maliciousness doesn't have a place on MN. A troll has ready access to a library of historic threads just by using ONS as a key search term, its the easiest thing to reactivate them with a nasty comment. Then they ping to the top of (e.g.) the AIBU list and people keep them active because they don't notice they are Zombied until it's too late and they post their comment.

Please take this seriously, it is a lot worse that a new user not liking that Zombie Cartoon.

Maybe a better image is a WARNING ⚠️ Zombie alert, not that horrible cartoon which is quite aggressive looking.

I think the Zombie definition ought to relate to the last time anyone posted on it, with 6 months since last update being a reasonable time-marker.

I agree with having the warning at the top and also at the end - I can't see that it really matters if it's offputting. If a large one is problematic, make it smaller.

I like the zombie

Thanks for all your thoughts. Just wanted to pop by to say we are still reading and will make sure all these ideas are passed on.

Another vote for Top of Thread warning please!